Chapter Two: Taken to the Palace *~* Yugi POV *~*
As soon as I was through the doorway, I twisted my arm around so that my hand was now on top of the attacker's bicep. I kick out with my right foot, sweeping his feet out from under him, and pull left with the arm he's holding at the same time, being sure to let go as I get out of the way. This sends him sprawling in the dirt in front of my shop, so I give three swift jabs in quick succession – nearly overlapping – and causing him to pass out due to sensory overload. With a quick swipe of my foot over the tightly packed dirt, I can see that there are five other soldiers around me, as well as one other person – a part of the group but not a fighter –that's standing behind the others. The stances of the fighters are rudimentary at best, easily outmaneuvered if one of them were to try and assault me.
And, like the well trained pups they are, they all come at me after taking down one of their own. As the first approaches me, I lash out with my foot, hitting him in the side of the head, knocking him out instantly. The next soldier comes at me from behind, so I duck and use one of my legs to use his own momentum against him, catching him in the middle of his chest, and using the movement to send him up and over my own body, using my free hand to hit seven points around my foot on his abdomen, again causing sensory overload and knocking him out. The third and fourth come at me at the same time, so merely dodging the attack with a well-timed vertical jump is too easy. The fifth fighter is undoubtedly the best, as he's wary of me now, taking in my stance carefully, evaluating the movements I've made and the speed in which he's seen me move. I stare him down, looking (I hope) into his eyes unblinkingly, my expression neutral, and he shifts back and forth, moving his weight from foot to foot as he grows uneasy. Raising a brow seems to be the last straw for him, and he stands down, relaxing his stance and backing off. I nod my head at him, acknowledging the fact that he's surrendered, and look at the other man before quickly stepping over the five unconscious soldiers and into my house, closing the door behind me and walking out back to collect my pottery.
*~* Mahad POV *~*
The soldier pulls the boy, Yugi, out of the house and into the street, only to end up lying in the dirt, unconscious. The others attack him for harming one of their own, and four of the other five soldiers end up in about the same position as the first, the remaining – and evidently smartest – of the soldiers I've brought, backs down and away from the boy, acknowledging his skill as a fighter. The young boy looks at me before entering his house and closing the door.
I spend the next few hours trying to speak with him, only to have him ignore me, yell about not caring if he had to 'lose' a few royal guards in the desert, and finally, a small urn thrown at my head. I return to the palace empty handed, walking into the lounge eyes downcast, to see every one there, looking at me expectantly.
"Well?" Jou, Seto's fiancé asks, looking excited. "Where is he?"
"He… didn't come," I say, my breath hitching slightly.
"Who didn't come?" I hear, looking over to see Valon walk into the room.
"Some guy named Yugi," Yami frowns.
"Is that so?" Valon asks, raising a brow. "Why not?"
"He took out five of the six guards I brought with me without breaking a sweat, and refused to listen to me," I sigh, falling ungracefully into one of the elegant chairs.
"Why'd he take out the guards?" Ryou asked, running his hands through Bakura's hair.
"One of them escorted him out of the house and he flipped out," I say, downtrodden. "And because of that Isis may not get better."
"Baka," Valon says, rolling his eyes.
"What?" Marik says, confused.
"It's a Japanese term that I was taught," Valon shrugs. "And I'll get him here, just give me an hour."
"I don't see how," I mutter. "He took out our best fighters."
"Just let me handle it," Valon calls, already out of the room.
"I suppose now we just wait," Ryou says.
*~* In the Village *~* Yugi POV *~*
About half an hour after that insufferable man leaves with his soldiers, Valon strolls into the shop as I help another customer, who becomes terrified. Not surprising really, seeing as nearly her entire village was destroyed by foreign soldiers – her and a few others from her village finding solace here. I calm her relatively quickly, assuring her that Valon is a good friend of mine and that he wouldn't hurt anyone without real cause. Once she's calmed down I put the finishing touches on her tunic and have her spin, checking the fit and movement from all angles.
"Everything looks good," I say, earning a laugh from Valon. I retaliate with a swift blow to the back of his head.
"With the way you create things and help around the village, no one would guess that you're blind," the girl murmurs, blushing.
"Thank you," I say, chuckling. "I always love seeing the happy smiles I receive when I help."
"I-I ne-never m-meant," she stutters, fear in her voice. I shush her, smiling.
"I know what you meant," I say, taking her hand gently. "I've never been able to see, it doesn't bother me, and I've always spoken like I am able to see those around me. So don't fret, you didn't insult me in any way. And I can still see, just… in a different way than most."
"Thank you for the tunics," she says, a small smile clear in her voice. "If there is anything I can do to repay you for them…"
"Nonsense," I say, waving it off. "It was a pleasure, no thanks necessary. Just be sure to have a good day, alright?"
"Alright," she says, walking out the door. "And you have a good day as well!" I smile in the general direction of the door, happy to know that she'll be okay with some time.
"Well I think someone li~kes you," Valon teases. (AN: For those who don't know, '~' shows that the letter in front of it is drawn out, or in a sing-song voice, sometimes both.)
"Shut up Valon," I laugh. "It's not like that. Why are you here, anyway? I thought you were on palace duty today."
"I am," he says, leaning against the wall. "But the palace healer has fallen ill and I was sent to ask for your help."
"Alright," I say, nodding. "Just give me a few minutes to clean up the shop." He nods his agreement and I'm done in ten minutes. I close up my little store and walk with my friend to the edge of the village, greeting those I know (which let's face it, is everyone) as I pass. Once we reach the outskirts of the village, I notice two horses, tied to a post – one tacked and one not.
"I told them we'd be back as soon as possible so we'll have to ride," he mutters, untying the horses. "Sorry."
"No harm done," I say, swinging up onto the un-tacked horse.
"Uh… Yugi," he says, sounding confused. "I was going to take that horse…" Yet he still mounts the other horse.
"No way," I tease. "You'd never be able to ride bare back. I grew up doing it, so I'll be okay. It's you I'm worried about."
"Oh, you wanna make it more interesting?" Val asks, coming up next to me.
"What did you have in mind?" I ask, interested. I've never been one to turn down a bet.
"First one to the palace gets a servant for a week," he says.
"You're on," I laugh. "Go!" I touch the heels of my feet to the horse's flanks lightly, spurring it on to a full gallop in a matter of seconds. I place the bottoms of my feet on its flanks, lifting my body slightly to stay balanced and help my horse when necessary, my hands tangled in its mane (gently) to guide him. I'm a few hundred feet ahead before I hear Valon's horse pick up speed.
"Hey!" he calls. "You cheater!"uch the heels of my feet to the horses flanks lightly, spurring it on to a full gallop in a matter of secondsost - one ow (whi I only laugh in response, not bothering to look behind me as I ride, closing my eyes in amusement and joy, spurring my horse on even more to keep ahead.
*~* Time Skip *~*
"I win!" I call out, laughing as I slip of the horse in front of the palace gates.
"Whatever," Val mutters, panting. "Open the gates!" The large ornate gates open, and I walk in next to Valon, leading my horse. Once Valon hits the ground two servants are taking the horses, presumably to the stables, and I follow my friend to the large double doors. They open for us, and I thank those who did so, earning (I'm sure) surprised looks from them. I'm led through several hallways before we stop again, and I make sure to memorize the pathways that we've taken in case I need to leave for some reason.
"Here we are," Valon says, pushing open the door. The moment I step in the room, I can see that it's more of a lounge than anything, chairs and cushions sitting around, two backless couches sitting at a ninety degree angle next to each other, several shelves standing around the room covered in books and games. There are nine others in the room; two are on each couch, one laying on the others lap, two are playing senet, another watching from a nearby chair, one (the only female in the room) is reading on the floor, laying on her stomach. The last, and most surprising person there, is the man from earlier this morning, who seems to be hunched over in one of the chairs, moping for some reason. When I think about it though, I suppose he's the husband – or lover, at the very least – of the healer, and had come to ask for my help earlier, just went about it the wrong way.
"Yugi, I'd like you to meet every one," Val says, sitting in one of the chairs. He points to each person as he speaks. "Mana is the one reading on the floor, Yami is the one who just won the senet game, his opponent was Malik, his lover Marik was the one watching, Jou is the one on the farther couch with his fiancé in his lap, Seto, Ryou's on the other couch with his lover Bakura's head in his lap, and Mahad is the one moping in the chair. He's Isis' husband, so he's pretty justified in being down. Everyone, this is Yugi."
"Pleasure," I say, bowing. "Though I would have appreciated it, Mahad, if you would have spoken to me instead of having a royal guard drag me from my house, I'd have been much more inclined to listen to you."
"What do you mean dragged?" one of them, Jou I believe, asks me, sounding exasperated. "Mahad said you took down five of the best guards when one of them escorted you out." I can't help but snort in amusement. Valon himself is laughing his ass off.
"Escort my eyesight!" I gasp, trying to hold back my laugh. "I was jerked out into the street by some soldier. I only acted in self-defense. The fact that four more of them attacked me should be irrelevant. Hell, the Pharaoh should be happy I'm friendly with his army, otherwise I would have left them in the desert for the hours of harassment afterwards."
*~* Yami POV *~*
"Here we are," Valon says, pushing open the door. I don't bother to glance over, focusing on beating Malik in senet.
"Yugi, I'd like you to meet every one," Valon says, sitting in one of the chairs. He points to each person as he speaks. "Mana is the one reading on the floor, Yami is the one who just won the senet game, his opponent was Malik, his lover Marik was the one watching, Jou is the one on the farther couch with his fiancé in his lap, Seto, Ryou's on the other couch with his lover Bakura's head in his lap, and Mahad is the one moping in the chair. He's Isis' husband, so he's pretty justified in being down. Everyone, this is Yugi."
It's only now that I look up to see who this Yugi person is. Though what I see shocks me. He's nearly identical to me; same star-shaped hair, though his is tipped with violet instead of my crimson, and his lacks the 'lightning strikes' as my friends call them. Instead, he has a smaller bang that falls over the middle of his forehead. His eyes are a shining amethyst, putting the gem itself to shame, that radiate with kindness and happiness, but also carry wariness for those around him and knowledge beyond his age, that follow where Valon is pointing as he speaks. He's just an inch shorter than me, and his skin is almost a fair white, with just a hint of a tan, making his skin appear sun kissed rather than bronze or white. He's wearing a cream-colored tunic with amethyst lining, a gold sash wrapping around his waist and helping to show off his figure. He has a few gold bangles hanging on his wrists, a small leather chocker embroidered with silver sitting close to his throat with a ruby tear drop in its center, held on with near invisible gold threads covered in equally small glittering onyx stones, giving it the illusion of blood staining the fabric. He also carried a medium sized dark brown satchel; the strap slung on is shoulder letting the bag rest against his hip. The strange thing about him (besides the obvious) is that he wears no foot wear, and it's obvious that he rarely – if ever – had, due to the rough look of his heals and the slight layer of dirt that coats the bottom of them.
"Pleasure," he says, bowing. "Though I would have appreciated it, Mahad, if you would have spoken to me instead of having a royal guard drag me from my house, I'd have been much more inclined to listen to you."
"What do you mean dragged?" Jou asks him, exasperated. "Mahad said you took down five of the best guards when one of them escorted you out." The boy snorts in amusement. Valon himself is laughing his ass off.
"Escort my eyesight!" he gasps, trying to hold back his laugh. "I was jerked out into the street by some soldier. I only acted in self-defense. The fact that four more of them attacked me should be irrelevant. Hell, the Pharaoh should be happy I'm friendly with his army, otherwise I would have left them in the desert for the hours of harassment afterwards."
"I am very grateful for that actually," I say, resetting the senet board. "I would hate to have to replace my best fighters." I know it's a low shot to try and make him uncomfortable, but I want to know what his reaction will be in knowing I'm the Pharaoh.
"Well then my Pharaoh," he laughs, his eyes shimmering and his smile enticing. "I suppose I should apologize."
"You didn't offend me," I assure, looking up at him. "You won't be punished or anything."
"Oh, I know," he smirks. "I wasn't going to apologize for that. I was going to apologize for embarrassing your best fighters in the middle of the street. Though, if those were your best fighters, you might need to enhance their training…"
"So let me get this straight," Seto says, looking at my twin. "You're not apologizing for possibly upsetting the Pharaoh, but for wiping the floor with his guards?"
"Yup," Yugi says, popping the 'p'. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I was told that the palace healer was ill. Should we not go see her?"
"O-Of course," Mahad says, shooting out of his chair. "Please, follow me." Mahad and Yugi leave the room quickly, Mahad undoubtedly leading the young boy to the room he shared with Isis as fast as his legs could carry him.
"We'll have to wait till diner to get to know him it seems," Ryou sighs, tangling his hand in Bakura's hair.
"Whatd'ya mean Ry?" Joey asks, looking at the smaller albino.
"What he means, Joey," Malik says, looking up from his place on Marik's lap. "Is that Yugi is going to be important in our lives and a good friend, so we want to get to know him. No better way than to request that he stay in the palace."
"I'll ask him at diner then," I say, leaning back on my hands. 'His eyes…. they were beautiful,' I think, staring off into space. 'Perhaps… I can get to know this boy a bit better…'
AN: I forgot the disclaimer… I own nothing but the plot line. All characters belong to the respective creators. I won't be doing this again for this story as I will forget and it would be redundant anyway.
